Apache Server 2.0: The Complete Reference [Paperback]

Ryan B. Bloom (Conductor)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 26, 2002 | ISBN-10: 0072223448 | ISBN-13: 978-0072223446 | Edition: 1st

This text gives coverage of configuring, installing, administering, securing, and debugging Apache Server 2.0. It contains information on running Apache on different platforms, including Windows NT and 2000, as well as UNIX-based systems such as Linux, FreeBSD, and Solaris; and Mac OS X.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

The Most Comprehensive Apache Server 2.0 Resource Available

Install, configure, administer, and secure Apache Server 2.0 using this practical guide. You'll find all the information you need to successfully run Apache in various environments--including Windows, UNIX, and Mac OS X. Expert Ryan Bloom offers you insightful advice for avoiding common errors and reveals valuable debugging techniques. From basic topics such as downloading and installing Apache to more advanced topics that include daily administration, virtual hosting, and proxy configuration, this all-inclusive resource is ideal--even if you're a newcomer to this powerful, reliable, and scalable Web server.

• Configure, compile, and install Apache on Windows, UNIX, and Mac OS X
• Learn the standard module structure and write simple modules
• Set up a basic HTTP server and customize error pages
• Discover where to store password information and learn how passwords are stored and checked
• Build a Web site with DAV clients
• Run CGI scripts and write a content generator
• Understand how input/output filters work
• Know how to load balance one site across multiple machines
• Deal with logs as well as name-based and IP-based virtual hosts
• Write protocol modules and learn how protocols get mapped to a request
• Debug your Apache setup and avoid common mistakes and errors
• Optimize site performance and learn advanced administration techniques

About the Author

Ryan B. Bloom (Oakland, CA) is an engineering manager for Covalent Technologies. Ryan is a lead developer of Apache 2.0, has been active in Apache 2.0 development since 1998, is a member of the Apache Server Core Team, and is currently the Vice President of the Apache Portable Run-Time project for the Apache Software Foundation. He has been a keynote speaker and a prominent Apache speaker at several conferences and an author and columnist for c/net, Apache Today.com, and O'Reilly's OnLamp.com

Product Details

• Paperback: 976 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill/OsborneMedia; 1st edition (June 26, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0072223448
• ISBN-13: 978-0072223446
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.5 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,964,065 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #55 in Books > Computers & Technology > Web Development > Web Servers

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars "Complete Reference" Is a Mis-Nomer, January 9, 2005

By 

Paul A. Hinchberger - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Apache Server 2.0: The Complete Reference (Paperback)

The trouble with this book can be summed up in the Introduction:

This book is aimed at two groups of people: Apache administrators of all levels and Apache module authors. This range of readers means that the book must cover concepts both having to do with programming and with basic configuration. I hope I have accomplished that task in a way the book is useful to both sets of people.

That's a monumental task to take on! Writing a book for each group separately would each take a tome the size of this book. Instead, we cram two subjects into one book without increasing size and get this -- a book that covers everything but in missing detail.

The first the sections start off on the right foot -- an introduction to Apache and how the web works; a comparison of Apache 1.3 and 2.0 with other web servers; configuring, compiling, and installing Apache; and a module overviews, including the MPM modules that handle pre-forking and threading.

After that, the details begin to slip. Sure, you can get Apache up and running with this book. Heck, you can even get it to pull off some nice tricks with this book. It's not until you start dabbling in these "nice tricks," though, that the incompleteness of this book shows through.

For example, while explaining virtual hosting, the author goes over two ways to go about it -- the one-by-one method and mass virtual hosting using mod_vhost_alias. However, he only briefly mentions using a third method, mod_rewite, which is admittedly more complex. The author also spends some time going over security and logging issues with virtual hosting, but at 21 pages, the chapter covering virtual hosting leaves a lot to be desired.

The same goes if you're interested in programming for Apache. Actually, I'm taken aback as to the amount of coverage the author devotes to the programming of Apache. Not because the author goes into greater detail on how the Apache code works than I care to indulge in (which is to say, any). It's because of it's interspersal throughout the book. In the end, this upsets both sets of people -- the administrators that don't want to program and the programmers that don't want to administer.

I guess one could say that this is a "complete reference" in that it covers every aspect of Apache. However, I'd rather have a "complete reference" that covers its subjects in full detail.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars If your new to web servers this book isn't for you., October 29, 2002

By 

Graham Shapiro (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Apache Server 2.0: The Complete Reference (Paperback)

If you are familiar with Apache 1.3 and want to learn about all the great new features of 2.0 this book may be for you. Bloom does not hold your hand with step by step instructions. The Complete Reference is exactly what this is but all this information can be found in the free documentation that comes with Apache.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not a book to learn from, June 22, 2005

By 

Andrew - See all my reviews

This review is from: Apache Server 2.0: The Complete Reference (Paperback)

This is an odd book. It does not really teach you how to do anything with the Apache software you just downloaded. It just tells you all about the modules, protocols, and so on in a reference type manner. So if you think you're going to learn how to setup a webserver and begin practicing with PHP, XML, HTML and other facets of Web development from this book you would be disappointed. There is nothing practical in here either for an beginner or an expert.